Publication Order of Fallen Collections

About The Fallen Series:

Written in 2009 by author Lauren Kate, the Fallen series qualifies as a young adult gothic fantasy and romance series featuring a protagonist named Lucinda, or Luce, Price.

A dark story from the beginning, Fallen centers around Luce’s experience after being sent to a special school following the accusations that she committed murder by setting a boy on fire.

Books

The Fallen series consists of four books, Fallen, Torment, Passion and Rapture in addition to a short novel about Valentine’s Day for the main characters of the Fallen series.

Setting

The Fallen series begins in a high-security reform school in Savannah, Georgia where no cell phones are allowed and security cameras watch students constantly. As the books progress, the settings move about from the reform school to a school in Northern California and eventually to varying countries within the same book.

Fallen

The first book of the series lends its name to the collection and begins with Luce’s introduction to the reform school, Sword and Cross, where she meets many people including girls who immediately befriend her and a few love interests who also play pivotal parts in the story.

Before long, Luce learns that the majority of the students at the reform school are actually fallen angels who have each chosen to be on the side of God or on the side of Satan, with one exception. Daniel, Luce’s main love interest in the series, has not yet chosen sides, which ultimately leads to an upset over his need to make a decision. Furthermore, Daniel holds a strong amount of power should he make a decision, and this characteristic becomes an important factor throughout the books.

Torment

In the second novel of the series, released in 2010, Kate picks up with the love story surrounding Daniel and Luce, which includes a particularly dark overtone based on the couple’s past and future.

In Torment, Daniel leaves Luce in a safe place during a lengthy battle he must participate in, where she meets several new students who also have yet to choose sides. This experience leads Luce to believe that Daniel is keeping things from her, and she becomes determined to find out the truth for herself.

The Audience

The Fallen series is, in every way, geared for an audience of teenage female readers, which is apparent in its focus on forbidden and cursed love as well as its tendency toward the ever-popular supernatural element that has been successful in other series. The main character of the series is only seventeen years old, yet she is forced to deal with a pileup of seemingly epic issues with which most adults are never even faced. Not only is she diagnosed with an extremely serious mental illness, she is transported from her home to a new place where she must deal with a completely different world than she is accustomed to.

Elements like this in young adult series appeal to the age group by lending importance to teenagers, whether human or not, that is not normally understood by the adult population. As this audience is at a prime age for dealing with important issues like choosing a life path and falling in love, the Fallen series is an example of an exaggerated set of dilemmas faced by the teenage protagonist and has gripped the interest of a worldwide audience.

Dark Elements

In addition to the book’s naturally dark overshadowing and plot, when Luce is initially sent to reform school, it seems she is diagnosed with minor episodes of paranoid schizophrenia, which only serves to add to the reader’s interest, as mental illness is increasingly a topic of fascination throughout the United States, and likely the world.

In fact, in Luce’s past, she has even been sent to therapy and medicated by her parents, perhaps another attempt to reach out to a certain percentage of teenage readers who may have gone through similar experiences and feel like outcasts or like they are less important than others.

Characters

Kate’s stories feature a selection of about fifteen primary characters who are formally established and play notable roles throughout the four books.

Luce

The story’s main character is Lucinda Prince, the protagonist sent to reform school after being accused of starting a fire. She is described as friendly and beautiful and seems to identify with the characters at the reform school. Her most important relationship in the story is that with Daniel, whom she has apparently loved for centuries.

Daniel

Daniel is Luce’s primary love interest throughout the series and is painted to be so outwardly gorgeous that rare is a women who doesn’t fall for him. Through the entire series, though Daniel only seems to have eyes for Luce, a love story that is every girl’s dream come true.

A fallen angel who chose love over good or evil, Daniel plays a very important part in the book, as he holds the key to Luce’s past in addition to being a strong enough angel to tip the scales of good and evil by deciding on God or Satan.

Cam

The third member of a sort of love triangle in the series, Cam is a fallen angel who chooses the side of Lucifer and acts as an antagonist due to his interest in Luce despiste Daniel. For the length of the first book, at least, Cam’s primary goal seems to be chasing Luce in the interest of upsetting Daniel.

Arriane

A fallen angel as well, but on the side of God, Arriane acts as Luce’s first friend upon her arrival at the reform school and remains close to her throughout the series.

Popularity

Shortly after its release, Fallen, the first book of the series reached the number five position on the New York Times best seller list. It also reached three additional best seller lists including USA Today, Indie and Publishers Weekly Flying Start.

The second book enjoyed similar reception, debuting at the top spot of the New York Times list and remaining there for nearly a month.

A Movie?

Not surprisingly, Fallen almost immediately garnered movie interest, most likely due to the outrageous success of other books-turned-movie in its genre. Since the book’s release in 2009, movie executives have kept the idea in discussion, and author Lauren Kate has now confirmed the roles of the three main characters in the upcoming movie.

Main characters Luce, Daniel and Cam have been confirmed as cast since late last year, and filming was slated to begin in Hungary just last month.

Worth It?

Since its release over five years ago, Fallen has only grown in popularity and will be on the big screen within two years. At least give the first book a try, then make a judgment…or reach for the next one.

With the latest book in the Gray Man series by Mark Greaney coming out soon, we wanted to make the very first book in the series our book of the month.

Greaney is an incredible author and if you love the "lone badass" type of books then you will LOVE the Court "Gray Man" Gentry series. Read more about it.

Featured Series

It might seem like overkill, but we're giving The Gray Man series our featured series of the month.

Honestly this is such a great series and we feel not enough people read it so we want to push it. Read more about The Gray Man series and seriously if you haven't read it - start! Amazing thrillers.

Featured Author

Mark Greaney is an incredibly talented author. Not only does he write the Gray Man series however he also writes various Jack Ryan novels. Many feel he is the best writer of them and he truly is a great author. We're happy to award our author of the month to Mark Greaney.

Did You Know…

Prior to becoming a novelist, Brad Thor was the award-winning creator, producer, writer, and host of the national public television series Traveling Lite.